Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Short Interest Down 17.0% in August

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 379,100 shares, a drop of 17.0% from the July 31st total of 457,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 106,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLDN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

Willdan Group Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $38.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company has a market capitalization of $526.57 million, a PE ratio of 40.98 and a beta of 1.38. Willdan Group has a 52 week low of $17.09 and a 52 week high of $40.51. The company’s fifty day moving average is $33.78 and its 200-day moving average is $29.87.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $123.07 million. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 3.10%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Willdan Group will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 12,840 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.03, for a total value of $411,265.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,497,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,967,807.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Willdan Group news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 12,840 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.03, for a total transaction of $411,265.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,497,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,967,807.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.83, for a total value of $92,490.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $394,377.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 268,844 shares of company stock valued at $8,301,950. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Willdan Group by 68.9% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 104,259 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,008,000 after purchasing an additional 42,533 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Willdan Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,096,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 10,328 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 52.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 78,110 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,253,000 after acquiring an additional 27,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $235,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

About Willdan Group

Willdan Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides professional, technical, and consulting services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Energy, and Engineering and Consulting. The Energy segment offers comprehensive audit and surveys, program design and implementation, master planning, demand reduction, grid optimization, benchmarking analyses, design engineering, construction management, performance contracting, installation, alternative financing, measurement and verification services, and software and data analytics, as well as energy consulting and engineering, turnkey facility and infrastructure projects, and customer support services.